Which is better?

What one is best for me?

Who has better products?

Once a month women all over the country run to their mailbox in hopes of finding a bright pink package or a multicolored box with tons of surprises. Subscriptions have always been popular over time but have recently become more and more popular throughout time. In the past few years, hundreds of thousands of women have subscribed to Ipsy or Birchbox, but the real question is which is better? Who doesn’t love five samples of makeup and beauty products once a month? True, we all do although the real question is which subscription works better for us personally? We all wander into Ulta and Sephora wondering which product is better and what we really need more but never know how to choose between all of the options we have. With Ipsy and Birtchbox you can experience five different samples (once a month) for $10 a month (and free shipping!) of products based on an online profile that YOU create. My mother has been a firm subscriber of Ipsy for ever a year and my cousin has been a subscriber with Birtchbox for around the same amount of time both gave me their opinions about the products which definitely helped but I decided to take matters into my own hands...

IPSY: With Ipsy after creating a personal profile, Ipsy beauty professionals select styles based on your personal taste and opinion. Ipsy directs a majority of their business to makeup products as they have an extremely wide variety of products that you can find at major makeup stores such as Ulta, Sephora, Macy's, and so on. They also offer beauty products such as facial cream, hair, or acne products as well (picked up on your hair and skin type in your personal profile). All of your picked products for the month come in a fashionable Ipsy makeup bag that varies from month to month and usually corresponds with the season, specific holidays, or simply a stylish bag. Also, Ipsy has many monthly discounts available for subscribers on their website for anyone who is looking for a long-term full-sized product.

BIRCHBOX: Similar to Ipsy yet with its own unique twist, Birchbox comes in a large multicolored box which you can keep afterward to store all of your beauty products and needs. Birchbox also allows the subscriber to take a ‘Style-Quiz’ as you get to pick and let Birchbox know what exactly your makeup, skin, hair, and beauty opinions are and also let them know what your personal favorites are. Having an awful frizzy hair day, but don’t know what to buy to control it? That’s what Birchbox is for! Allow them to take from your personal profile 'Style-Quiz' and give you the perfect hair frizz serum that best fits you. The awesome feature Birchbox has is if you liked one of the five sample products they sent you this month, it’s easy to order more. Just log on to Birchbox.com and click ‘add-on’ to order any full or sample-sized product that you received in your box for the month (and received free shipping!).

Birtchbox

The option is up to you! I have heard multiple responses from multiple people about both Ipsy and Birchbox. As a fun experiment for myself, I have ordered both, Ipsy and Birchbox for the month of August (to see which would work better for me). As much as I’d like to say I have been leaning more towards one than the other I find myself completely in the center between the two. With my August Birchbox, I have added on an additional skin treatment set to better help me with my skin (as this often has been one of my weak spots). However, I also received the amazing brand ‘Makeup Forever’ mascara in my Ipsy bag for the month which I not only was running out of mascara and needed more but I got an amazing brand for just $10 a month (for everything)!

Although both subscriptions have many options and offer both makeup and beauty products, I had to narrow down and give my best advice. For makeup lovers, I would have to highly suggest Ipsy. With their high volume of hundreds of makeup brands, I haven't seen not one brand I was disappointed with. Although, as for product lovers I would have to point them in the direction of Birchbox to best satisfy all your beauty product needs (since their add-ons are easy to pick online, and you can order exactly what you wish as an add-on). However, if you’re just an all-around beauty lover like myself feel free to spend only $20 a month and receive both monthly! You're guaranteed to get things you love and even find new things to enjoy as well. Overall, I don't think you can ever go wrong with either.

“Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.” - Gwyneth Paltrow